Hoodia, from the Asclepiadaceae subfamily in the Apocynaceae family, is a succulent plant from Southern Africa that contains substances which suppress hunger, appetite, and thirst. The use of certain species of Hoodia as an appetite suppressant is supported by colorful folklore history and recent scientific studies. Tribesmen hunters in Africa have used Hoodia for many years to prevent hunger on long hunting trips.
WO 98/46243 discloses a process to extract a steroidal glycoside having a specified formula from plants of the Asclepiadaceae family, and in particular from the genus Trichocaulon or Hoodia, involving treating plant material with a solvent to extract a fraction having appetite suppressant activity, separating the extraction solution from the rest of the plant material, removing the solvent from the extraction solution and recovering the extract. The solvents specifically mentioned to perform the extraction are one or more of methylene chloride (dichloromethane), water, methanol, hexane, ethyl acetate or mixtures thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,033,616 discloses pharmaceutical compositions containing an extract obtainable from a plant of the genus Trichocaulon or Hoodia having anti-diabetic activity. Also disclosed is a compound derived from the extract which may be used for the manufacture of medicaments having anti-diabetic activity.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2005/0181077 discloses a composition for treating AIDS. The composition comprises a medicament selected from an extract of at least one of a number of plant families including Asclepiadacea, which includes Hoodia, a glyceryl ester of any of the foregoing extracts; a saponin of any of the foregoing extracts; an alkaloid of any of the foregoing extracts; a protein of any of the foregoing extracts; a fat of any of the foregoing extracts; a sugar of any of the foregoing extracts; and any mixture of any of the foregoing.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0159773 discloses herbal compositions containing Hoodia gordonii and synergistically enhancing ingredients such as green coffee bean extract. The compositions are useful in controlling obesity and supporting the treatment of various health conditions related thereto, including Syndrome X. This reference states that obesity is commonly associated with the metabolic Syndrome X, and that Hoodia gordonii has been proposed in the literature as a potentially valuable approach to the management of the metabolic Syndrome X. The main mechanism of action of Hoodia gordonii in the metabolic Syndrome X is appetite suppression, leading to control of calorie intake. This reference discloses that combinations of Hoodia gordonii and CGBE-containing chlorogenic acid or Hoodia gordonii and chlorogenic acid per se reduce insulin levels in Type II diabetes mellitus patients, patients with pre-diabetes, the metabolic Syndrome X and related conditions.